


Those are MY socks!

by BlownAwayEveryday



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: 70's AU, Artist Freddie, Between Queen tours, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Freddie and Jim have a kitten, Homophobic Language, Jim is arrested, Jimercury Week 2020, Laundry, M/M, Moving In Together, Period-Typical Homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:00:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22587550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlownAwayEveryday/pseuds/BlownAwayEveryday
Summary: Freddie and Jim have just moved in together, and Jim was brave enough to take Freddie's clothes to the laundromat!Jimercury 2020 week, today's prompt: Mixing up laundry at the laundromat
Relationships: Jim Hutton/Freddie Mercury
Comments: 21
Kudos: 39
Collections: Jimercury Week 2020





	Those are MY socks!

**Author's Note:**

> Here is a little fluffy nonsense for Jimercury week 2020 : )  
> Thank you to ninamercury for letting me know this gorgeous week was going ahead xx
> 
> Oh...there is a little homophobic language in this so please be aware if you choose to read

Jim was about to fall through the door when it was pulled open.

Roger stepped back to allow him to cross the threshold, staggering as the two large bags he was carrying caught around his feet.

Jim dropped the bags, struggling to get his breath so he could at least say something.

“Alright Rog? Still on for tonight?” he wheezed, casting an eye around the hallway for Freddie.

“He’s upstairs. Got a bit of a surprise for you too.” A cheeky smile spread across Roger’s face.

“You haven’t been doing doobies again have you?” Jim asked with a cautious smile.

Roger laughed, shaking his head. “Freddie wanted to get my opinion on something.”

“Oh…?” said Jim raising a quizzical eyebrow.

Roger clapped Jim on the back. “I’ll leave you to it. Down the Tavern yeah? 8.30 – ish?”

¨¨¨

“Freddie!” Jim called up the stairs. “Are you home sweetheart?”

Freddie’s raven locks appeared over the banister, spattered with pink and silver.

Despite his desperate need for a coffee and to put his feet up, Jim couldn’t help but smile.

Every day that week he had arrived home from college to a different Freddie.

Stoned Freddie, lazing on the back step with Roger.

Pensive Freddie, curled up quietly with a book.

Rock star Freddie, performing an impromptu dress rehearsal in the living room.

Today he was homely Freddie– not a scrap of make up on his skin, dressed in loose fitting denim dungarees.

“What are you doing up there huney?” Jim called, struggling upstairs with the enormous bags.

Freddie’s expression was that of the slightly terrified.

He bit his lip nervously, before clearing his throat. “I hope you don’t mind, but I have arranged your wardrobe and drawers so I can fit some of my things in?”

When Jim didn’t immediately balk at the suggestion, Freddie gestured to him excitedly “Come see. I’ve arranged your things by colour.”

“OUR wardrobes and OUR drawers” Jim corrected him gently, placing a kiss on his forehead.

“I’m sorry that we can’t get you wardrobes of your own sweetheart” Jim said, following Freddie into the room “…but our home simply isn’t big enough.”

Freddie smiled brightly, opening the door. “I love our home, it’s cosy.”

Jim’s jaw dropped open when he saw what had become of his old room.

Gone were the browns, blacks and beiges. In their place were smoky greys, silvers tones and the odd pop of blush.

The room had been completely transformed.

“I hope you don’t mind a touch of pink dear? Ebony’s bed is such a beautiful shade, it set me off doing pink here and pink there” Freddie said quickly, flittering from one side of the room to the other.

“I love it!” cried Jim enthusiastically, trying to take everything in. “I would never have chosen these colours for myself, but look how much brighter it is!”

“I hope you don’t mind me putting up these mirrors?” said Freddie, pointing above a chest of drawers. “There isn’t space for a dressing table.”

Jim approached the old chest, squinting at a number of out of focus Polaroid pictures that were tacked to the mirror.

The photographs had been taken by Freddie himself on Queen’s latest tour.

“Oh darling!” cried Jim. “That’s Tokyo, and Fukuoka, and aahhh the Statue of Liberty! I remember that day so well! Wait…..” Jim leaned closer to look at the most recent photos “…oh my God….was Ebony really that small?!” Jim paused, looking around the room. “Where is Ebony?”

The tiny black kitten dropped daintily from the top of the wardrobe onto her father’s shoulder. Jim reached for her, nuzzling her velvet ears with a gentle hand. “She’s getting bolder isn’t she” Jim said rhetorically, gazing softly at Freddie.

¨¨¨

“I’m so pleased that you have organised our wardrobe space today sweetheart because I’ve collected our things from the laundromat” said Jim, lugging the enormous bags onto their bed. “Now darling, don’t be cross, but I took one or two of your older costumes to see how nicely the laundromat would refresh them for you.”

Freddie’s eyes widened with concern.

“We can’t very well keep flying Mum over from Ireland every time you need to do a delicate cycle…besides…I want to do this kind of stuff for you” Jim recovered quickly.

Jim pulled a black and white jumpsuit from Freddie’s bag of washing, and held it up to him.

“Look at this one, see? The fabric is lovely. Not a snag in sight.”

Freddie held the fabric closer, running his thumb over the soft satin sheen, training his meticulous eye to detect any flaws that Jim had not seen. When he failed, Freddie squeezed Jim’s arm, and treated him to a bright unguarded smile.

“Thank you so much darling” he cooed.

Jim warmed inside.

He loved when he got things right, things that made Freddie feel at home in his new environment.

Freddie smiled, placing the jumpsuit aside before tipping his bag of clean laundry out onto the bed.

Sadly, the smile soon turned into a frown.

“What’s the matter baby?” asked Jim, nervous to stand down until Freddie had examined every stitch that Jim had been entrusted with.

“My favourite socks aren’t here!” Freddie wailed.

Jim recognised the face, he was teetering. He didn’t want to appear upset over something so trivial when Jim had gone to so much trouble.

“I didn’t know you had a favourite pair” Jim said, always keen to learn something new about Freddie. “What do they look like?”

“They look like…..socks!” snapped Freddie pouting.

He was tipping into anger. Jim knew him well enough to know it wasn’t directed at him.

Freddie had been inconvenienced.

Something had happened outside of his control, and it made Freddie’s world slightly less secure.

Jim put down his own clothing, happy that everything was present, correct and adequately fragrant.

He wrapped an arm around Freddie’s waist, and gave him a squeeze. Freddie dropped his head sadly onto Jim’s shoulder.

Jim picked up a piece of black Lycra, and it kept on coming.

“What do we have here?” he asked with a cheeky smile.

“That’s my catsuit” Freddie said shyly.

“Mmmm I like you in this…” Jim mumbled “…can I have a private show later? As it’s a catsuit I think we should find you a tail to wear with it.” Jim flickered his eyebrows, trying to amuse Freddie. “What do you say Ebony?” Jim addressed the kitten, who was curled up on top of Freddie’s tower of pillows.

Freddie giggled.

Next were a pair of leather trousers, followed by a satin blouse, a kimono, some sparkly white jeans, and a white thong.

Jim held the thong up to Freddie, initially to prove that the staff at the laundromat had done a sterling job on Freddie’s whites, but latterly because he was becoming aroused.

“I think you need to try this on now to make sure it hasn’t shrunk in the wash” Jim suggested, pulling a giggling Freddie towards him, squeezing his buttocks, but the laughter didn’t quite meet his eyes.

“You’re not happy baby are you?” Jim qualified, pressing his lips to Freddie’s. “Ok, I’ll get cleaned up, then I’ll head back to the laundromat to see what could have happened to your socks. What do they look like?”

“They’re very warm” said Freddie. “A few sizes too big, old and woolly.”

Jim laughed out loud. “They sound bin-bound sweetheart!”

Freddie pouted.

¨¨¨

The doorbell tinkled when Jim pushed open the laundromat door.

It was the end of the day, and the place had descended into chaos as some customers attempted to do their own laundry, while others were collecting laundry they had dropped off that morning.

No wonder things went missing.

Suddenly Jim felt rather silly returning to the laundromat over a pair of mucky old socks. It would have been easier to have bought Freddie some new ones.

“Yes pal?” said a scrawny young man, who smelled rather badly of stale cigarettes and sweat.

“Erm….hi” Jim bumbled. “I’m sorry to bother you. I picked up my laundry about an hour ago …the name is Hutton…but my partner mentioned that a pair of socks are missing. I don’t suppose any have been left behind at all?”

“Socks??” repeated the man, stupefied as though Jim had reported he personally was missing a bra. “Do you know how many socks come through here pal?!”

Jim flushed. “Erm…thank you…look…don’t worry about it, I’ll just…..” Jim was just about to leave when he saw Freddie’s sad face in his mind’s eye “….actually…do you have lost property? I don’t mind looking myself, it’s just that …” Jim smiled warmly “…well…he’s rather fond of this particular pair.”

The man sniggered. “He? Your partner is a he?! Oh just a minute….Jack…” he called to his colleague “….here’s that man who dropped off all that weird shit earlier….for his boyfriend” the man chimed in a sing song voice.

Jim felt himself blush to the soles of his feet. Every person in the laundromat turned to stare at him.

“There was no need for that now was there?!” Jim hissed angrily. “I’ve been polite. I’m willing to look myself. The socks are missing. I want them back.”

“You’ll get fuck all from me pal!” the man said with a smirk. “I spent all afternoon on your boyfriend’s weird shit. Most of it I washed by hand. If I’d have known you were a pair of freaks I’d have set fire to it.”

The man barely finished his sentence before Jim’s fist connected with his cheekbone, followed by a knee to the groin. An uppercut to his own jaw did very little to cool Jim’s anger, as he rained punches down on the man’s face.

Suddenly this man represented every person who had ever hurt Freddie – here today, on tour in America, and in the years before Jim had met him.

A plastic wash basket wielded at his head by an elderly lady didn’t cool Jim’s ardour, as the men rolled around on the wet floor like a pair of primary school boys. They crashed into a cage, upsetting some coiled duvets which rained down on them.

Moments later Jim felt himself yanked to his feet by a rough hand. His vision was impaired by a sea of blue chests, as heavy blows to his back forced their way into his consciousness.

Struggling for breath, Jim was marched out to the waiting police van.

¨¨¨

Ebony pounced onto the back of daddy’s favourite armchair.

The house had been empty for some time, and she had enjoyed ruling her domain.

She had rubbed her fur against daddy’s nice throw, slept on his cushion, swung from the hem of the new curtains. She had padded daddy’s teddy bear, scratched a hole in the corner of the carpet. Now she missed her daddies, and was ready to be held and fussed.

“Darling!” Freddie crooned as he crashed through the door. “That was simply hideous seeing you locked up in there. You don’t suit prison at all! You must let me bathe that eye dear.”

“Freddie please don’t fuss” said Jim, feeling rather foolish. “You put up my bail, that was more than I will ever ask of you sweetheart.”

Jim rubbed his bruised jaw as Freddie manhandled him into his favourite chair.

“Ebony darling, we must let daddy sit down. He’s had a God-awful day” Freddie cooed to the kitten, scooping her up into his arms.

“So what happens now dear?” Freddie asked, tenderly passing Ebony to her daddy. “Do the constabulary have everything they need, or will you have to go back….” Freddie gulped at the hideousness of the situation “…in there?”

“I guess I wait for a court date” said Jim pragmatically. “If I’m lucky, the charges will be overturned when the police realise how much of a moron that man is.”

“Whatever got you so upset dear? I haven’t seen you behave like that since the days of the bar” asked Freddie.

Jim waved his hand, dismissing the question. “He was just a fuckwit generally sweetheart, don’t worry about him.”

Freddie crouched to his knees, grasping Jim’s hands, gazing into his eyes with earnest. “Is there anything you need darling? What a truly awful day.”

Jim stroked a hand down Freddie’s hair, picking at a splodge of pink.

“What I would really like right now is a big steaming mug of coffee, and some cuddle time with my babies.”

¨¨¨

Jim sprawled back in his favourite chair, flicking out the foot rest.

Freddie curled into his side, his long legs across Jim’s lap, hands warming around Jim’s mug of coffee under the pretext of holding it for him. Jim tucked Freddie under his arm, pulling him closer against his body.

Sweet little Ebony circled a few times before curling up small in Freddie’s lap.

“I’ve dreamt about this moment all day baby” cooed Jim, finally starting to relax.

Jim exhaled loudly, kicking one trainer over the edge of the chair, followed by the other.

Freddie suddenly sat upright, startling Ebony. His cheeks flushed with pleasure, his eyes shining with joy.

“Darling you’re so clever!” he cried, looking around frantically for somewhere to put the mug. “You found the socks!”

Jim looked down at his feet in astonishment as Freddie first pulled one sock off his foot, followed by the other. He pulled the socks onto his own feet with a flourish, giving them a loving stroke before pushing his feet into Jim’s hand.

“Darling, those are MY socks” Jim said mystified.

“I didn’t say I owned the socks, just that they are my favourite socks” said Freddie, looking at him in a way that Jim hoped he would for the rest of his life.

Jim tipped his head back and howled with laughter.

Freddie snuggled closer to his man. Resting his head on Jim’s chest. Wrapping his arm protectively around Ebony.

Jim wrapped his arms tighter around his little family, threading his fingers through Freddie’s, and bringing his hand up to his lips to kiss small fingers.

It had all been worth it.

That contented smile was worth it all.


End file.
